Plan Placebo: The fake abortion clinics of America

Fake abortion clinics are taking the issue of abortion to a ridiculous new level./PHOTO VIA Flickr user Elvert Barnes

Following the Supreme Court’s passing of Roe v. Wade in 1973, the subject of abortion among pro-life and pro-choice activists has been an ongoing battle on a political and social level. Within the past few years, however, the battle has taken a volatile turn.

Fake abortion clinics concealing themselves under the name of Crisis Pregnancy Centers, or CPCs, started to rapidly pop up across the nation about two years ago. It was virtually impossible to recognize whether a CPC was real or not—they even had what seemed to be authentic websites that showcased their medical credibility and state of the art equipment.

Over the past few years, there have been a number of intense investigations of these centers. In a VICE magazine interview, a Texan woman named Donna told how she ventured into the White Rose Women’s Center, thinking that she would be able to get an abortion. The results were far from what she expected.

Donna walked in and was immediately offered a free sonogram. The woman conducting the sonogram spent the duration of the session trying to convince Donna that she needed God in her life, while preaching to her a slew of anti-abortion facts. Pantsless and vulnerable, Donna tried to leave the room and in response, the White Rose employee shoved the sonogram probe farther into her stomach. Donna then found the strength to remove the woman’s hand and quickly make her way out of the center.

Unfortunately, stories like Donna’s are not out of the ordinary. Centers like the White Rose are making their way into countless cities throughout the nation. Most are located in close proximity to actual abortion clinics. They situate themselves there on purpose so that women will accidentally walk in, mistaking them for real abortion clinics they may have researched online.

These clinics not only commit malpractice, but also intentionally misinform women seeking abortion services. In most centers, before their ultrasounds, the pregnant women are subject to invasive and tedious information sessions in which they are bombarded with facts regarding post-abortion health. For example, they are told that abortion leads to depression, eating disorders and even breast cancer, none of which has actually been scientifically proven.

The scariest part of all this? These fake clinics are receiving state and federal funding. That means taxpayer money is going straight to the harassment of these innocent women. Sadly, most of the public is unaware of the fact that their money is going toward these clinics. That’s why I feel it’s important to become aware and take a stand against these unjust practices, whether you are pro-choice or pro-life.

Without choices, there are no rights, and we need to protect these innocent women and ourselves against these groups. Otherwise, we’re simply passing off our rights to those who certainly do not deserve them.